A former law enforcement officer in Florida who once lectured students about the harm of bullying is accused of committing a violent act against a child herself.
Tiffany Lee Griffith, 36, of Fort Myers, was arrested December 19 and charged with aggravated child abuse after allegedly holding a six-year-old boy underwater for “several seconds” at a hotel pool, according to a police report obtained by WPBF.
Investigators say the alleged act was retaliation for the child repeatedly dunking her own son, who she said is eight years old and has autism.
The incident happened at the Gaylord Palms Hotel in Orlando, where authorities say Griffith got into the pool and began screaming at a child she believed was playing too rough with her son.
She then “placed her hands on the victim’s shoulders and forcibly dunked him underwater for several seconds,” according to the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
Security footage obtained by ClickOrlando shows Griffith wading over to the boy and holding him down in the water for approximately two to three seconds.
The boy got out of the pool “visibly upset” and bleeding from his nose, police said. Griffith then allegedly screamed at the boy’s mother before leaving the pool area.
It was later revealed that Griffith had previously worked for the Punta Gorda Police Department from 2013 to 2018 under the name Tiffany Lee Viola.
She had also served as a school resource officer and was awarded employee of the quarter in 2016. Online posts show her speaking to high school freshmen at Charlotte High School about bullying and sexting.
Griffith was booked at the Osceola County Jail on an aggravated child abuse charge.
At a pretrial release hearing this week, Griffith’s husband testified that she feared her son could have been in danger.
She was released on a $20,000 bond on Tuesday.
